Former Yankees All-Star Tom Gordon Talks Role With Perfect Game, Soto Sweepstakes

Tom "Flash" Gordon was an All-Star with the Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies during his 21-year MLB career—and now all three teams are in the mix for Juan Soto.

Unknown Date & Location, USA; FILE PHOTO; Kansas City Royals pitcher Tom Gordon (36) in action on the mound during the 1989 season. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY NETWORK / RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Even in retirement, Tom “Flash” Gordon has never truly left baseball.

Gordon, 57, ended his playing career back in 2010 after pitching in parts of 21 major league seasons with eight different teams. The right-hander posted a 138-126 record with a 3.96 ERA and 158 saves over 890 games, earning All-Star honors with the Boston Red Sox (1998), New York Yankees (2004), and Philadelphia Phillies (2006).

One year after his retirement, his son, Dee, made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dee Strange-Gordon went on to play 11 years in the majors, appearing at second base, shortstop, and center field with the Miami Marlins, Seattle Mariners, and Washington Nationals. He earned two All-Star selections, finishing with a career .286 average and 336 stolen bases. 

Five years before another son, Nick, was drafted fifth overall by the Minnesota Twins in 2014, Flash saw him compete in tournaments hosted by Perfect Game, the world’s largest amateur baseball scouting service. Impressed by the opportunities the platform offered players like his son, Gordon reconnected with former big leaguers at similar events, including ex-Yankee Ben Ford, and began exploring ways to support the next generation of ballplayers.

Today, Gordon is one of 21 former MLB players who invest in Perfect Game, where he has coached and mentored since 2009. Although he considered coaching at the major league level and even interviewed for the San Diego Padres' managerial job in 2015, he ultimately prioritized his family, despite receiving strong endorsements from former Yankees manager Joe Torre and teammate Mariano Rivera when he reached out for advice.

For Gordon, the decision was clear. He said that with such a long career, he was less involved with his kids than he wished he had been able to be. 

“It was more important for me as a father to be home, to be around a little bit more,” Gordon told Yankees On SI over the phone. “Dee, of course, was already gone to the professional ball, and I hadn't seen much of him, so I was really hoping to see more of him and Nicholas, which I did.”

Looking back, Gordon felt that his decision to focus on family was the right one.

“It was easier to make the decision to be a dad first, because I played as long as I did,” he added. “I think for me, I’m probably one player that got it all out. You know, 21 years is a long time, 23 total. And I'm grateful for that, but I do know my sons and my whole family spent a great deal of time being in the stands, so I wanted to give back to them a little bit.”

Gordon felt Perfect Game suited his schedule because, unlike college or professional coaches, he could mentor pitchers without being at the field every day. He has the flexibility to choose which events to attend, and his next trip will be one of his biggest yet.

Perfect Game recently announced a series of international tours in 2025. These destination trips for players and their families provide amateur athletes with the opportunity to showcase their skills on the global stage, experience new cultures, and learn from experienced MLB alumni. 

The first tour departs Dec. 26, when two travel teams will head to Australia to face local youth teams until Jan. 4. Gordon and fellow former big leaguer Scott Erickson will serve as coaches for the Little League and high school teams.

“I love to talk to them more about the mental side of the game,” Gordon said. “You know, not everybody's going to go out there and get three hits. Sometimes you'll have three strikeouts, but you can still be very motivating to the team.

"We want them to work on things that they can control: being prepared, having the right attitude. If we keep it pretty simple for them and help them see that those things help you become a better player, but also help you become a better teammate and stand a chance for great success.”

One reason Gordon agreed to this Australia trip is because he previously took a 12U group to Barcelona, which he called a “wonderful” experience. The kids got three to four meals a day and had plenty of time for sightseeing. Most importantly, he sees competing against top international talent as a valuable opportunity for every player.

“Over here, we play a lot of baseball year-round. I think more countries are starting to care that much about the game,” Gordon said.

He recognized that the players traveling are there to compete above all, but emphasized that it is equally important for them to build connections off the field and create lasting memories.

“Baseball is a family of communication,” he added. “It’s a game of inches, but it's also a game of miles when it comes to people connecting and being able to stay in one another's lives and help each other develop what they love about baseball, whether it be playing as a player or being a coach at some point in time. People are now connected to game of baseball a whole lot more than they ever have.”

Gordon knows this as well as anyone, having maintained close relationships with many former teammates. Among the closest clubhouses he was part of were the 2004 and 2005 Yankees, who won back-to-back division titles before suffering heartbreaking losses in the postseason.

“Oh man, that was two years of excitement every day,” he reflected about his time in New York. “A fabulous group of guys that worked very well together, cared a lot for one another. Don't get me wrong, there's other places that I played that made me feel the same way, but both those teams, it felt like a brotherhood. We connected very well. We did a lot of talking and laughing on the buses and on the plane. We had a really good time together, but we also left it on the field.”

As the top setup man to Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera, Gordon saw firsthand what made him—and those Yankees teams—great.

“Mariano could coach our team,” Gordon said. “It was hard for me because you’re still trying to learn and figure out how to keep your job. He could actually go to the bullpen physically and correct the guy's mechanics, help him get his arm slot right, help him work emotionally on things that would help him become a better player. He was such a five star general in our clubhouse.”

He described Derek Jeter the same way, as someone who led by example and could talk to him about anything, baseball or not. He even recalled one conversation they had about bringing healthier foods into the clubhouse before it became a league-wide trend.

“It was just, to me, two of the greatest years I ever had in baseball,” Gordon said. “The time I spent with those guys, the Yankee players, the city of New York, with the greatest players in the game, went by too fast for me. It really did.”

Having played for eight teams and on both sides of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, Gordon brings a unique perspective. He feels just as much love from New York fans as from Boston and Philadelphia fans when he returns for games or team events, such as Red Sox fantasy camp. From 2021-2023, he was a part-time radio color commentator for Red Sox games on WEEI, but left after three years to spend more time watching his son Nick play for the Miami Marlins.

All three of those teams he starred with are currently pursuing superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who has met with the Red Sox and Yankees and is expected to meet with the Phillies, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Many project Soto to land a historic contract in excess of $600 million, potentially prying him away from the Bronx if managing partner Hal Steinbrenner is unwilling to pay that much for one player.

However, having watched Soto closely throughout his career, Gordon feels staying in pinstripes would be the best move for him.

“For me, I think Soto got some unfinished business, and I think that's going to push him to want to finish the business,” Gordon said. “I would like to see him back in New York. I think that would be a place where you could say this young man has wrote himself into history. If he went somewhere else, he’ll still someday be a Hall of Famer the way he plays, but I think his career would probably get a little overshadowed.”

After being traded from San Diego last winter, Soto made an immediate impact in his first season with the Yankees. The lefty slugger posted a .288/.419/.569 line with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs, forming a fearsome duo with Aaron Judge.

Soto played a key role in propelling the Yankees to their first World Series appearance in 15 years, hitting a clutch, go-ahead three-run homer in the 10th inning of ALCS Game 5. 

He was one of New York’s few offensive bright spots in the Fall Classic, going 5-for-16 (.313) with a home run and six runs scored. However, the Yankees fell short against the Dodgers, losing the series in five games.

“The Yankees, they really take pride in going after the World Series each year,” Gordon said. “[Soto] is going to have to realize that if he decides go somewhere else, that club may not feel the same about winning the World Series every year. I don't think he would enjoy playing any other place other than playing on a championship ball club. It would be tough for me to believe Soto goes somewhere else."

Soto, 26, could still be on the same upcoming contract when some of the young pitchers Gordon is coaching today are facing him in the big leagues. Asked how he would advise his pitchers to approach an MVP-caliber hitter like Soto, Gordon had no hesitation.

“The first thing I would tell my pitcher is stick with your strengths. Make sure that you go out there and leave it on the line because if there's no conviction behind that pitch, you may not make that pitch you need to get this guy out,” Gordon said. 

The 1998 AL saves leader and Rolaids Relief Man Award winner stressed that hitters like Soto will often focus on one side of the plate when looking for a pitch to drive. For pitchers, the former starter, reliever, and now coach emphasized the importance of trusting their stuff and confidently attacking the other side of the plate.

"Don't let them take both sides of the plate. You establish one side, and you're winning the game," Gordon said. He explained that when a pitcher fails to do this, it often results in more hits, walks, and foul balls that disrupt their rhythm. "Have an idea of what you want to do and stick with it," he added.